The plants of the Zingiberaceae family are used on all continents, mainly in the tropical-equatorial regions, for their odoriferous properties, cooking (spices) and medicinal plants, which are shared to varying degrees by all genres
The best known, Zingiber, Curcuma, Hydechium, from Eurasia but subspontaneous or cultivated throughout the world even for purely American genres (Costus, Renealmia).
They also include types Kaemferia, Alpinia, Ammomum, Boesenbergia.
These are generally large weeds, perennial from a rhizome, preferring damp locations
They are grown for their rhizome (turmeric, ginger) or as decorative plants for their colorful flower spikes and large leaves (pink porcelain iris from Florence).
In traditional medicine it is used to treat many ailments:
* As “regulators” of female genital disorders: Antiabortifacient, emmenagogue (see glossary), regulator of menstruation,
* As an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic (see glossary), antirheumatic,
* In the broncho-pulmonary diseases: asthma, cough suppressants and expectorants (see glossary)
* Finally, to treat various digestive disorders: antiemetic, antiulcer, antispasmodic and antidyspeptiques (see glossary).
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The TURMERIC been important crop in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China but also in the Caribbean and some Pacific islands.
Vivace by its rhizome, turmeric has large sheathing leaves and a spike of yellow flowers with bracts tinged with pink or purple.
We harvest the rhizome after withering of the aerial parts, it is dried, stripped of its roots and scaly skin.
The fracture shows the inside yellow to red-orange smell aromatic
COMPOSITION AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Rich in starch (45 to 55%), turmeric contains 2 to 6% of essential oil (see glossary) and dyes, curcuminoids (up 8%), whose majority is composed of curcumin (50 to 60 %).
The essential oil of the rhizome juice is antiseptic, antimicrobial and repellent to insects.
The anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin is poorly explained: inhibition of certain enzymes, effect on prostaglandin synthesis or direct action on the granulocytes. It is quite clear both acute inflammation and chronic.
Curcumin shows anti ulcerogenic in the stomach: protection against ulcer by stress or toxic and also restoration of gastric mucosa on the ulcer caused.
Finally, the alcoholic extract of the rhizome is a protector of the liver parenchyma (toxicity induced by carbon tetrachloride).
Some authors believe that the anti-inflammatory and antihépatotoxique is due to properties antyoxydantes, antiradicals free (see glossary).
USES
The rhizome of turmeric powder is the main constituent of “curried” food.
Fresh rhizome juice exudes deemed antiscorbutic, yellow dye fabrics (woven Madras) or using body paint (mixed with coconut oil), finally it is a good repellent for mosquitoes.
Curcumin (rhizome powder or alcoholic extract) is a nontoxic food coloring and particularly stable (heat and Ph).
In India and China it is used as an anti-inflammatory in the treatment of rheumatism.
Presumably, the “curry, turmeric partly offsets the irritation of the gastrointestinal mucosa of other components (especially pepper).
Turmeric is an ingredient of many herbal medicines used as choleretic and stomachic (see glossary) in the dyspeptic symptoms of hepatic origin. It is reasonable to use as antiulcérogène and protector of the gastric mucosa.
TURMERIC xanthorrhiza (Temoe-lawaq), very similar botanically curcuma longa is grown in Indonesia and working in traditional medicine as a choleretic and bile duct.
TURMERIC zedoaria (zedoary), this plant near the turmeric and ginger also has stimulant and carminative properties (see glossary) on the digestive tract and is a good remedy for colopathies with flatulence. Moreover the essential oil is antimicrobial and antifungal.
In association with peppermint and cinnamon in decoction is a remedy of “colds” and minor viral infections.
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